Head of the pack: why Mercedes needed its Wolff

Some people within the F1 paddock are sceptical about Mercedes's new management structure but, as Toto Wolff tells Jonathan Noble, the German squad is now a smooth machine

One victory and one [proper] pole position. That's the scant reward Mercedes-Benz had gleaned after three years as master of its own destiny since returning the Silver Arrows to Formula 1 at the start of 2010.

It's little wonder, then, that a fair deal of soul searching took place in the middle of last year when it came time for the German car manufacturer to either commit itself to F1 – by signing the Concorde Agreement – or ship out.